Mandatory "made in EU" labelling moves one step closer

Updated March 2011

The European Parliament Internal Market Committee agreed on 22 March that "made in" labels should be compulsory for textiles imported from third countries and sold within the EU but that county of origin labelling should remain voluntary for products "originating" within the EU.

MEPs have insisted that the only way to ensure that consumers are not deceived by labels implying that textiles are made in the EU, when they are in fact made in a third country, is to make "made in" labels mandatory. The lack of harmonised rules on origin marking was also felt to place the EU at a disadvantage to trading partners, such as Canada, China, Japan and the USA, all of whom require country of origin labelling for imported goods.

According to the Committee, the labelling may be in any EU official language and a product shall be deemed to originate in an EU country only if it underwent at least two of the following stages of manufacture: spinning, weaving, finishing or making-up.

Additionally, in respect of animal-derived materials, the Committee was concerned that consumers still risk inadvertently purchasing real fur products when they would in fact prefer not to do so, particularly if they suffered from allergies to animal fur/hair. MEPs therefore inserted a requirement to indicate the presence of non-textile parts of animal origin in textile products in the labelling or marking of these products "whenever they are made available on the market" to enable consumers to identify products that may be damaging to their health.

The Commission has been asked to produce a report within two years, and if necessary to propose legislation to introduce the new labelling requirements EU-wide. This report should examine, for example, harmonised requirements on care labelling (currently voluntary), clothing and footwear sizes, on health and safety warnings (flammability, possible allergenic substances), and on social labelling for the future.

The draft law must be considered by the Council before it can come into force.

This publication is intended for general guidance and represents our understanding of the relevant law and practice as at March 2011. Specific advice should be sought for specific cases; we cannot be held responsible for any action (or decision not to take action) made in reliance upon the content of this publication.

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